$399 Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet comes to the US, without phone

Relies on its digitizer, pen, and software to justify the price premium.

The Galaxy Note 8.0's digitizer, pen, and price set it apart from the competition.

Andrew Cunningham

When we got a chance to see Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet at this year's Mobile World Congress, we came away impressed by most of the improvements to the older Note 10.1 tablet but learned nothing about the device's pricing and release date. We now have both: the tablet will be available on April 11th for $399, $70 more than Apple's base-model iPad mini and a full $200 more than the Nexus 7. The US version of the tablet is mostly identical to the one we saw at MWC, but it's missing the HSPA+ modem and other hardware required to make phone calls—US customers won't be able to get their hands on an 8-inch smartphone just yet.

Though this particular tablet is new, on the inside it's practically identical to last year's Galaxy Note 10.1. You get the same Exynos 4 Quad processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage as the other tablet, but in a smaller enclosure. For this price (the same, incidentally, as the Samsung-made Nexus 10), it would have been nice to see one of the newer Exynos 5 chips in this tablet, but the quad-core Exynos 4 should be sufficient to drive the tablet's 1280×800 display. The tablet's software, which emphasizes multitasking and input from the accompanying S Pen, is also similar to the Note 10.1, but the Jelly Bean software Samsung is currently offering seemed both a bit faster and a bit more stable than the Ice Cream Sandwich-based build we evaluated when we reviewed the Note 10.1.

The Note 8.0's digitizer and pen give it a unique hook that neither the iPad mini nor the Nexus 7 can boast of, but at a starting price of $399 you'll have to pay a substantial premium for the privilege. We'll have more time to evaluate the tablet next to its peers for our full review—look for it in the coming weeks.

That was what was so exciting about Samsung entering this space, as well as the Surface. Decent quality digitizer based tablets were basically a non-entity prior to the past couple years. The only other model I'm aware of was the Asus EP-121...which was difficult to obtain.

I don't like Samsung, but for a tablet, Wacom just makes sense, so I am recommending this device as an option worth investigating to my friends. I just wish Samsung would have put a little more effort into this and at least managed to match Apple's price tag. Samsung doesn't even have an aluminum enclosure, which makes it difficult to feel good about paying another $70 for it for most people. Metal feels good, and adds confidence to the customer's purchasing decision.

After seeing how amazing the HTC One is, I really would love to see a new HTC tablet.

I despise Apple but I'd get an iPad mini for myself before this thing. Higher cost, cheaper feel, all for the benefit of a weaker tablet ecosystem?

I had no issue buying my wife an iPad mini but if she wanted something like this I'd probably have to sit down and have a deep discussion about it.

And as much as I love Android, you are making some compromises in the tablet world with it. There's less apps that aren't just bigger phone apps and some don't exist at all (like Sky and Telescope). But for $200 for something like the Nexus 7? I would be happy with it. I certainly wouldn't pay more to have less.

I despise Apple but I'd get an iPad mini for myself before this thing. Higher cost, cheaper feel, all for the benefit of a weaker tablet ecosystem?

I had no issue buying my wife an iPad mini but if she wanted something like this I'd probably have to sit down and have a deep discussion about it.

And as much as I love Android, you are making some compromises in the tablet world with it. There's less apps that aren't just bigger phone apps and some don't exist at all (like Sky and Telescope). But for $200 for something like the Nexus 7? I would be happy with it. I certainly wouldn't pay more to have less.

I disagree about the app selection. I've had a Nexus 10 since December and I have absolutely no trouble finding good apps. I had an iPad 1 (well, two iPad 1s, but that's another story.) for a few years as well, so I'm aware of the different ecosystems. iWork's amazing quality is really the only thing I miss from my iPad. Now that I'm using Spotify, having the real tablet version of Spotify would be nice, but I've got a (no root required) app called Rotate that will force Spotify to use whatever orientation I'm in, so I don't have to deal with it being portrait only. Spotify's the only app that I have that problem with. My experience with the Nexus 10 is actually better than the experience I had on the iPad, and apps (or the supposed lack thereof) are not hindering me.

How many apps do you really use on a daily basis? I'd venture to say less than 20. If you can find those (or superior equivalents) then you're set, and on Android I have access to many things I could not access on iOS.

Got the chance for a minor hands on with the 8" along with a few other associates when we received our shipments the other day. While it's slightly sturdier to me, I really can't see the justification here. The hell with drawing a comparison to the 10" Nexus; The 10" NOTE has been retailing at $450 for a couple weeks now. I unfortunately can't see the value proposition this device brings to the table.

SideNOTE: While the cellular modem might make a lot of difference for some people, it wouldn't have been a deal breaker for me. So I'm not just miffed it's a wifi only model atm.

If the digitizer passes muster (1k pressure levels, good calibration, no jitter, etc) and the software is strong enough (and the hardware can keep up), it's a $399 8" [previous generation (the new ones are up to 2k pressure, tilt, etc)] Cintiq sketch pad not tethered to a computer.

I haven't played with a Galaxy Note or with digitizer input on android in general, but if there's software equivalent to OneNote (e.g. strong hand writing recognition that preserves the inking while adding search data, etc) then that's a very strong selling point too.

I'm recently back from Korea, where the Galaxy Note 2 is one of the more popular phones, even among those with small hands -- and I see why. It's a computer for many people, and a productivity device during long commutes by train and bus, and the big screen & pen are huge selling points.Out here in North America, where we drive everywhere and have laptops or tablets that don't need to be as portable or discrete, it makes a lot less sense to have one of these. That being said, this is a device worthy of its price point if it stands up to its bigger brother (the Note 2 phone).

It is smaller but it is also a complete product with casing/SW etc... Just adding this capability to an 8" tablet likely cost about $20, and the extra cost to the consumer is more like $200.

It is a high margin features that let manufacturers make a lot more money when they include it.

Nothing wrong with making more money though.

Because Wacom and Samsung are the same company, so they can just throw in tech with material cost pricing?

Oh right. They're not.

And the 10" diagonal bamboo is $100 more expensive than the 6.8" one you linked. I'm not saying Wacom doesn't mark up for size increases disproportionately to relevant material cost increases. In fact that's exactly my point.

I'm not trying to "justify" the cost. What justifies the cost is whether $399 is worth the features to either an individual buyer or some percent of a given sample of buyers. What I am trying to do is point out the ridiculousness of an argument as to what the added cost "should" be that isn't even realistic to all of the factors involved, and rides on pure conjecture even then.

It's hard to find good digitizer tablets in this price range. Like, nearly impossible. If this ends up being a good digitizer tablet, it may or may not have broader market appeal, but it will definitely sell to people who are specifically looking for a digitizer tablet for (relatively) cheap for particular uses.

I'm a Galaxy Note II owner and I'd be more than willing to move to this, save for two issues:* The camera. It doesn't use the SGS3/SGN2's camera, which is a really good unit. It uses a tablet-grade P-o-S unit, unfortunately.* I really would use it as a phone. Really. Admittedly with a headset most of the time, but the option would be nice.

Otherwise I really like this form factor: it works as a phone, but has a massive, long-lasting battery and lets me do tablet-y stuff with ease. I never warmed to carrying two devices, and I do find the SGN2 has worked better for me than any device I've used before.

I can't say I'm surprised. Samsung has never shown any sign of going down the 'value' route. You're all missing out an important extra: the massive marketing/branding campaign that comes with every Samsung device - they have to pay for that somehow.

People for whom a digitiser adds real value will buy it, because there aren't a lot of choices here. That might be a little more compelling if they had better apps available, like integration with photoshop running on your PC. I doubt it's going to make much of a spalsh in the market, though.

Sammy left out the critical feature for the $399 price point: the Apple on the back.

That's just the point, not even the Apple on the back commands the same price premium.

Stop. Saying this. I'm not buying an iPad or iPhone anytime in the near future, but Apple sells quality products. That is their business model. They sell things that actually work and are made of durable materials. Get this through your skull: Most people do NOT buy Apple products for the Apple on the back. They buy them for their quality.

I can't say I'm surprised. Samsung has never shown any sign of going down the 'value' route.

No one wants to build low margin commodity products. When 7" Android tablets came out, they were $500 and it wasn't because they really cost that much, it was because manufacturers were hoping to get high margins, not low margins like they get in the PC business. Prices didn't really come down until Amazon, then Google brought out their $200 tablet and turned Android tablets into low margin commodities in one fell swoop.

While Samsung offer low margin value tablets without Wacom for ~$200, Wacom Digitizers are Samsungs play to have a high margin tablet.

Having any high margin play gives them a leg up on the most of the Android tablet players.

Sammy left out the critical feature for the $399 price point: the Apple on the back.

That's just the point, not even the Apple on the back commands the same price premium.

Stop. Saying this. I'm not buying an iPad or iPhone anytime in the near future, but Apple sells quality products. That is their business model. They sell things that actually work and are made of durable materials. Get this through your skull: Most people do NOT buy Apple products for the Apple on the back. They buy them for their quality.

Their quality? I'm pretty sure they buy them because it's what their friends have been showing off, because it's what they saw on their TV shows, and because it's what the guy at Best Buy insisted was best. Otherwise Apple wouldn't advertise silhouettes dancing around with headphones in; they'd directly show the merits of their products.

Sammy left out the critical feature for the $399 price point: the Apple on the back.

That's just the point, not even the Apple on the back commands the same price premium.

Stop. Saying this. I'm not buying an iPad or iPhone anytime in the near future, but Apple sells quality products. That is their business model. They sell things that actually work and are made of durable materials. Get this through your skull: [b]Most people do NOT buy Apple products for the Apple on the back.

You're right. People don't buy Apple products for the Apple on the back. They trade their kidneys for the Apple on the back.

Sammy left out the critical feature for the $399 price point: the Apple on the back.

That's just the point, not even the Apple on the back commands the same price premium.

Stop. Saying this. I'm not buying an iPad or iPhone anytime in the near future, but Apple sells quality products. That is their business model. They sell things that actually work and are made of durable materials. Get this through your skull: Most people do NOT buy Apple products for the Apple on the back. They buy them for their quality.

Lol I was commenting about how someone else's post was stupid, not trying to make that point myself. But really, of course they make quality products. I wish a Android OEM would make the same quality of hardware because I can't stand iOS, but your last statement is most definitely not true. Most people don't buy Apple because it's quality, they barely even know what the difference is in the first place. They buy it because it's popular, and because it is well marketed. It got popular in the first place because it was quality shit, but that's still not the same as saying that even 10% of today's buyers think of that as a factor when buying.

Sammy left out the critical feature for the $399 price point: the Apple on the back.

That's just the point, not even the Apple on the back commands the same price premium.

Stop. Saying this. I'm not buying an iPad or iPhone anytime in the near future, but Apple sells quality products. That is their business model. They sell things that actually work and are made of durable materials. Get this through your skull: Most people do NOT buy Apple products for the Apple on the back. They buy them for their quality.

Their quality? I'm pretty sure they buy them because it's what their friends have been showing off, because it's what they saw on their TV shows, and because it's what the guy at Best Buy insisted was best. Otherwise Apple wouldn't advertise silhouettes dancing around with headphones in; they'd directly show the merits of their products.

Hi xWidget, you'll be surprised to hear this, but I'm addressing you from 2013, that is, from the future!Yes, it's exciting, but I can't reveal too much. All I really have to say is that you will be pleasantly surprised at the changes to come in the late 2000's and early 2010s.

This is not a troll comment (I own a couple of Android devices), but I think I would enjoy a device like this running Windows RT. 7-8 inches is a perfect screen size or a personal note taking device. Windows has such solid stylus and handwriting recognition support, it's unfortunate that none of the first gen ARM devices have an active digitizer. Perhaps we will see this with Windows "Blue".

Hmmm, this is a toughie. I love my Nexus 7 and stock Android, but I like my Note's stylus and would love to have that on a bigger screen... and most of all, I really like the 8" form factor compared to 7". And of course, I'm dead set against Google's "expandable storage is for dinosaurs" and "who needs video out?" attitudes.

Bottom line: if I could get a good stock-ish ROM for this that still supported the pen drivers, and it has microSD and hdmi, the premium would be worth it to me.

Funny how all Samsung products are 30% more than the competing Apple products now. Some of this must be related to the Won getting strong (at least compared to the yen, I presume it moved against the dollars as well).

Andrew Cunningham / Andrew has a B.A. in Classics from Kenyon College and has over five years of experience in IT. His work has appeared on Charge Shot!!! and AnandTech, and he records a weekly book podcast called Overdue.